Strike Watch: Two Weeks Until Doomsday?

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Things look bleak as the June 30th deadline approaches.

By Travis Fickett

With the June 30th deadline looming for the current "features and primetime" deal with actors, things are getting strange. Just to catch up on how this works – it's a little different than the situation before the WGA strike that started last November. This labor situation involves two separate unions who are anything but unified. First, there's SAG – the Screen Actors Guild, who is more aggressive in their posture and language regarding the terms of their deal. Then there's AFTRA, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. AFTRA has taken a far less combative stance, and has been outspoken about SAG's current positions.

Probably the biggest thing affecting this impending strike is the previous one. If the writers hadn't struck in November, the studios wouldn't have plans and scenarios that are battle tested for another possible work stoppage. And because of the way things went down last time, the studios are attempting to get ahead of the game this time around.

That brings in the AMPTP, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers – which is the collective bargaining unit for the major television and film studios. The AMPTP, which was the major player on the other side of the table with the writers, isn't taking any chances with another possible strike. In order to prevent the sudden aborting or shuffling of feature schedules that happened with the WGA strikes, the studios are contemplating a "lock-out," and freezing production until a deal is finalized. Television however, will continue production in an effort to get as many episodes in the can to whether the length of a strike.

Once again you may get a shortened season of Heroes, but you can make your own with this Hiro action figure!

Ironically, the shortened seasons caused by the WGA strike put the networks in a good position, because they were able to return to production on the new season earlier than normal. As Variety explains it, in the case of 24, that show isn't scheduled to begin airing until January of 2009, so it will likely have enough episodes in the can to whether whatever kind of work stoppage occurs.

Other shows that have been in production include Heroes, Dirty Sexy Money, House and Chuck. This means that, should actors stop working on June 30th, they would have to be out of work for quite some time to affect the schedules of shows that won't air until September and that have several episodes ready to go. One possible (though currently unlikely) casualty could be FOX's new JJ Abrams series Fringe. As Variety puts it, FOX has to make a decision soon if they will continue their major advertising blitz to promote the show's September 9th launch. While the show's two hour pilot is ready to go, the show isn't scheduled to go into regular production until July.